Kathleen Furore
Leaves are falling. School (with its requisite roster of homework and events that parents enjoy and dread simultaneously!) has started. And the holiday season is just around the corner.
Fall certainly is the season when everything starts changing and stress starts to mount in anticipation of all there is to do before the typically quieter months that January ushers in.
The good news: All of the changes and events fall brings also present Mexican/Latin restaurants with great business-building opportunities.
From September 15 through October 15, there’s Hispanic Heri- tage Month, which means there’s an entire month to leverage your position in the foodservice space to introduce customers to special dishes and traditions you might not highlight at other times of the year.
In Chicago, for example, Mercadito launched a Toasted Pump- kin Seed Guacamole while Fat Rosie’s planned a celebration featuring a $25 fiesta-style taco platter and tri-color Margaritas inspired by the colors of the Mexican flag.
As the month-long celebration of Hispanic Heritage comes to a close, customers will be looking forward to Halloween and Día de los Muertos (a holiday more and more people in the U.S. are embracing). In-restaurant ofrendas, sugar skull decorating events, and themed cocktails are some ways Mexican restaurants have celebrated.
In 2025, for example, Mexico Restaurant in Atlantic City, New Jersey, featured a video of the restaurant’s Día de los Muertos altar on Instagram and invited customers to “stop by ... to celebrate the memories of those we love — from family and friends to loyal customers who’ve become part of our story.”
And then it’s on to end-of-year holiday events and creating menus for 2027. We hope this issue delivers information that will help you capitalize on fall opportunities and plan for the year ahead.
You’ll find ideas for creative cocktails that make the most of fall themes and ingredients, plus year-round menu-building ideas like introducing Mexican pizza (perhaps as an LTO that would work great as a delivery item during football season) and using microgreens to add flavor and color in the kitchen and behind the bar. We’ve even delved into how you can get into the airport concession game (teaser: It isn’t an easy process, but airport locations typically bring in more than brick-and-mortar locations when done successfully).
Enjoy the issue, enjoy fall...and let us know if there are any topics you would like us to cover in future issues.